The Advocate
by reize-feitan
Summary: A new drug was made that could effectively kill a person. Could this be the one that would end Shinichi's life? (Plot still developing...R&R pls! :,)
1. Anne Bridger

Disclaimer: I just borrowed Ran, Detective Mouri and other characters found in Detective Conan.

Claimer: I own the ideas [actually they were based from my dreams (-_-)zzz...].

* This is my 1st Detective Conan fanfic. So, if you have any comments, suggestions [&/or corrections] just let me know. In other words, please review. Hope you enjoy!

-à +ß -

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The Advocate

Part I: _Anne Bridger Case_

"... A raven-haired woman, around mid- 20's, got a small bottle from her coat's pocket and opened it. She poured its contents at the pond in front of her. Pinkish, oily substance remained floating in the water and as it spread, the aquatic plants in the pond started wilting fast... There was a little boy behind her who looked frightened. At first, I thought that the woman would suddenly grab and drown him. But actually it was the woman who fell in the pond... Her mouth, nose, and ears, started to bleed under water." Emilie sipped her coffee and continued, "Just fainted or suicide, I couldn't tell."

"Ann Bridger died at around 5:30 a.m., the time when you had that vision. So, perhaps it's related to this case!" exclaimed Ran. 

The two of them were sitting at a corner inside the Montpelier Laboratory's Cafeteria. 

"Umm... But I think it's not murder 'cause I didn't see anybody there except for that frightened little boy, who looked like.. him." Emilie took a glance at another table across. Ran thought it was Conan she's talking to. But when she looked there, she saw another boy, around 7-8 years old, who was wearing a black shirt and blue pants.

*************

That child Emilie's talking to was Mrs. Pam Freeman's son. Mrs. Freeman, 34 years old, was the head of the E. Department in Montpelier Laboratory last year. She and his son, together with Ms. Abby Bridger [the victim's half- sister], Inspector Megure, Detective Mouri, and Conan were in the cafeteria also, discussing and analyzing the death of Ms. Ann Bridger.

"Sir, when my son and I arrived at 7:00 a.m., we saw her already dead." Mrs. Freeman said.

Inspt. Megure checked the logbook and saw her signature and 'time in: 7:00'.

"Let me see." Conan said and Inspt. Megure showed it to him. Detective Mouri, who became a little irritated with Conan because of his being a 'meddler' looked at it too.

"Yup! Written there was 7 a.m. sharp." Detective Mouri said.

"But what if she didn't write the actual time they came?" Abby sneered.

"Excuse me Ms. Bridger but you can ask the guard if you want to." Mrs. Freeman, quite annoyed, still tried to be calm.

"What if you just bribed the guard— sorry for the term."

"You should really be sorry indeed because you're already..."

"I know that you stole some chemicals in this laboratory last year and illegally sold it to earn more money! That was the reason why you're not the head of the E. Department now." Abby continued in a sing- song way.

"What's the connec..."

"And you might be jealous of my sister because she replaced you!" Abby, a glib talker she was, didn't let Mrs. Freeman interrupt her. There was silence in the whole cafeteria as she said that aloud. The eyes of the people there were on them. 

"You arrived at about 7:20, right?" Mrs. Freeman said as calmly as possible.

Abby nodded and asked "So?"

"There is still a possibility that you're the one who killed Ms. Bridger." 

Abby's left brow raised.

"Once your half- sister dies, all –ALL- your parents fortune will be yours." Mrs. Freeman felt that she's making a point here.

"But..."

Mrs. Freeman raised her right hand signaling her not to talk. "You might have arrived here earlier, perhaps by passing in through a secret passage or something instead. Then, pretended to had just arrived at about 7:20, when the cops were already here." she continued.

"What the.. I wouldn't do that!! Blah, blah, blah..."

The two enraged were deeply engaged in an argument. Other people there stared at them again. Detective Mouri just sighed and muttered "Women...", while Conan left the Cafeteria.

"U-hum.. ladies... excuse me... umm... please listen to me for awhile!" Inspt. Megure was finally able to silence them. 

*************

Meanwhile, Conan went outside at the pond where Ms. Bridger died.

"I prefer a quiet place." he said to himself.

Conan started to find some clues there. First he observed the ground , then the sides of the pond. 

"If only we arrived before she and her papers were taken out of the water. Darn it! I couldn't anymore observe now how far the water splashed on the ground 'cause they messed it up already. I might still be able to determine whether it's murder or suicide." he thought.

He continued searching, but still found nothing- not even an object that could result to the victim's bruise on her calf.

He then looked at the pinkish, gray pond, which reflected the cloudy sky. The surroundings were becoming gloomier as it was about to rain. He scrutinized every wilted plant in the pond. How he wished that there was just a hidden camera even outside. Few minutes later, he found an empty small bottle, slightly hidden by those dead water lilies. He picked it up with his handkerchief.

"APTX 4868?" he read the label. "Almost similar to the drug that nearly killed me." he thought, and rushed back in the cafeteria for it started raining already.

"APTX 4868. What's this?" the small bottle was handed to Inspt. Megure.

"Oh, that's very poisonous. Just drink a drop and you'll already meet God." Mrs. Freeman commented.

While they still proceeded in discussing about the crime especially about the small bottle, Ran at the table across, signaled Conan that they want to talk to Mrs. Freeman son.

When Conan did, the boy was hesitant at first. Only when Conan said that Emilie and Ran would like to ask about his mother because they idolize her did the boy go.

"Hello! What's your name?" Ran asked as soon as the boy followed by Conan came.

"C-c-carl." the boy replied.

"Why, you seem scared. We won't eat you. Come, sit." Ran said, and he sat beside her. Conan then noticed something.


	2. APTX4868

__

...continuation [part 1]

*************

"Since Ms. Bridger was depressed because her lover died, like what the employees here said, and no proof was found that it's murder, it might really have been suicide. Case solved!" Conan was alarmed when he heard Inspt. Megure said that, and when he looked at them, they all stood up and were about to leave already. 

Conan already knew the mystery behind Ann Bridger's death. So he used his stun-gun watch again to Detective Mouri. 

Detective Mouri lurched for awhile, and sat again—now asleep. Conan dashed at his back and used his voice-changer bowtie to imitate Mouri's voice.

"Wait!" Conan said.

"What is it Detective Mouri?" the inspector stopped and asked.

"I already know the truth. It's murder." Conan continued.

"How can you be sure?"

"There were papers found submerged in the pond, right?"

"Right. Those were data sheets used by Ms. Bridger to record the results of her experiment with APTX 4868, according to an employee we interviewed awhile ago."

"So she was holding those papers?"

"Yes."

"If it's suicide, she would drop those papers first on the floor before jumping in the water."

"But what if she just actually fainted?" Abby asked.

"According to the autopsy, there was a small bruise on her right calf. Therefore, someone might have kicked calf causing her to fall into the pond." Conan said, still imitating Mouri's voice.

"Possibly she already got that before." Mrs. Freeman remarked. 

"Some dirt we saw on her pants a while ago was aligned to her bruise. She must've seen and removed the dirt as soon as she got bruised before." 

The inspector and the two women thought about it for a moment.

"But who killed her then?" Inspt. Megure then asked.

"Carl. Mrs. Freeman's son." Conan replied.

"That's impossible! We went there at the pond together!" Mrs. Freeman exclaimed.

"Probably he went at the pond ahead of you."

"Well... yes. But you have no evidence Mr. Detective!"

"Inspector, please check his son's pocket."

Inspt. Megure went to the other table where Ran, Emilie, and Carl were. He pretended to ask Emilie just to divert Carl's attention, before checking the boy's pocket immediately.

Inspt. Megure got a white handkerchief with pink, shiny stains on it. Carl was sweating profusely. 

"Conan saw that when he sat beside Ran. As soon as he kicked Ms. Bridger on her calf (if you notice, her bruise and his shoe's sole were the same size), the poisonous water splashed on him. He used that hankie to wipe his self that's why it got those pink stains. Those stains were not obvious on his shirt because he's wearing black." Conan explained.

"I-is it true?" fighting back her tears, Mrs. Freeman approached and asked his son.

Carl's face was now sullen. His eyes were staring blankly on his hands. He just muttered "I was told to."

"W-w-who told you?" her mother became confused. But he couldn't reply anymore for he already expired. 

—TO BE CONTINUED...


End file.
